Blackpool Transport is UK Bus Operator of the Year 2022

Blackpool Transport is celebrating after winning the coveted UK Bus Operator of the Year Award at the UK Bus Awards in London.

The company was also named the winner of the Gold Award in the Top Shire Operator category before fending off competition from Diamond Bus North West and Hertfordshire-based operator Uno to win the top gong in the Grand-Prix competition that pits the winners of the Top City, Top Shire and Top Independent Operator Awards against one another.

Blackpool’s win followed a pause by the industry’s premier awards scheme over the last two years as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. People, projects and bus operators came together at Troxy, London to once again compete for the top awards across 22 categories at the scheme’s first in-person presentation ceremony held since 2019.

It was the perfect birthday present for Nottingham City Transport bus driver Jonathan Smallman. He took the gold in the Top National Bus Driver: The Chris Moyes Memorial Award category, marking the fourth time a bus driver from the council-owned bus company has won the gold at a UK Bus Awards ceremony.

In the capital, Go-Ahead London’s Koli Begum enthusiastically took to the stage to take gold in the Luke Rees-Pulley Award for Top London Bus Driver category and there was more good news for the London operator as its Putney garage received a gold in the London Bus Garage of the Year category.

Stagecoach is also celebrating after scooping seven of the top gold awards. Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire’s Barrow depot was named winner of the gold award for Top National Bus Depot, sponsored by Integrated Solutions, and Stagecoach East took the gold in the Supporting the Environment category, sponsored by CitySwift, for its ‘Big Switch Off’ campaign. Meanwhile, Lesley Hester of Stagecoach Manchester proved that not all heroes wear capes when she won the coveted gold in the Unsung Heroes category, sponsored by Backhouse Jones.

In the Young Manager category, Hayley Russell from FlixBus UK took the gold ahead of silver award winner Zachary McAskill from Stagecoach Manchester. The bronze in that category went to talented Stagecoach London engineer Ben Houghton.

Meanwhile, Jim Thorpe, managing director of Uno was the gold winner of the Leader of the Year award. In this category Stagecoach South East boss Joel Mitchell took the silver with the bronze award bagged by Samantha Teggart of Abellio London Bus.

Transdev also had some notable successes, taking golds in the Buses for Pleasure sponsored and Culture Change categories. The Harrogate-based firm also took silver awards in the Marketing, Partnering for Delivery and Supporting the Customer Experience categories.

Alan Millar, Chair of the UK Bus Awards, said: “After a tumultuous couple of years as a result of the pandemic, it’s fantastic to see the dedication, creativity and excellence of the UK bus industry have not diminished. We are particularly pleased to have celebrated the best in the business, from small, family-owned businesses to the very large multinational transport groups, including several who entered the scheme for the very first time.

“We’re honoured to have been able to recognise and celebrate the industry’s successes, achievements, innovations, dedication and sheer brilliance. All those celebrating today should feel proud that they have played their part in helping to deliver a first-class experience for bus passengers across the UK. From everyone at the UK Bus Awards, we would like to say a huge congratulations to everyone involved.”

 

Bus and the Community

sponsored by Heathrow

Gold Award: The Friendship Bus, Stagecoach South East

Silver Award: Go North East

Bronze Award: Sam’s Wellbeing on Wheels, Stagecoach East Scotland

Other finalists: Bus Depot on Weston Street, Diamond Bus North West; Electric Bus Viewing, RATP Dev Transit London; Ensignbus; Forever Manchester, Stagecoach Manchester

 

Buses for Pleasure

sponsored by Coach & Bus Week

Gold Award: Greetings from Yorkshire, Transdev

Silver Award: Toon Tour, Seasider X11 and the X75, Go North East

Bronze Award: Explore the Lakes by Bus, Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire

Other finalists:  575A, Diamond Bus North West; Clipper Cabriolet, First Eastern Counties; Exmoor Coaster, First South West; Skegness Seasiders, Stagecoach East Midlands

 

Culture Change

Gold Award: The Transdev Spirit, Transdev

Silver Award: One Team GNE, Go North East

Bronze Award: Safety Strategy Forum, Stagecoach London

Other finalists:  Learning and Development Team, Abellio London Bus; Let’s talk equality, diversity and inclusion, Stagecoach London; Service Delivery Team, Stagecoach South East

 

Engineer of the Year

sponsored by IRTE

Gold Award: Jamie Stockton, Stagecoach Manchester

Silver Award: Craig Mills, Stagecoach London

Bronze Award: Mick Branigan, Diamond Bus North West

Other finalists:  Darren Bull, RATP Dev Transit London

 

Leader of the Year

sponsored by Bus & Coach Buyer

Gold Award: Jim Thorpe, Uno

Silver Award: Joel Mitchell, Stagecoach South East

Bronze Award: Samantha Teggart, Abellio London Bus

Other finalists: Bill Daly, Stagecoach London; Ken Fennell, Abellio London Bus

 

London Bus Garage of the Year

sponsored by Transport for London

Gold Award: Putney, Go-Ahead London

Winner, Silver Award: Bow, Stagecoach London

Winner, Bronze Award: Brixton, Arriva London

Other finalists: Beddington, Abellio London Bus; Lea Interchange, Stagecoach London; Uxbridge, Metroline

 

Luke Rees-Pulley Award for Top London Bus Driver

sponsored by The Luke Rees-Pulley Charitable Trust and TfL

Gold Award: Koli Begum, Go-Ahead London

Silver Award: Wolfgang Chindamo, Metroline

Bronze Award: Domingos Goncalves, RAPT Dev Transit London

Other finalists: Aliya Aleskerova, Metroline; Kellie Heard, Stagecoach London; Nimish Jamnadas, RAPT Dev Transit London; Mohamed Maow, RAPT Dev Transit London; Porpin Owusu, Metroline

 

Marketing

sponsored by Coach & Bus 23

Gold Award: Jobs with Real Purpose, Go North East

Silver Award: Transformation at TeamPennine, Transdev

Bronze Award: Cornwall Bus Fares Pilot Launch, Cornwall Council

Other finalists: A Day in the Life series, Stagecoach South East; Saving Money for Salford, Diamond Bus North West

 

Partnering for Delivery

The Peter Huntley Memorial Award

Gold Award: Leeds Public Transport Investment Programme, First West Yorkshire and partners

Silver Award: The Freeway Approach, Transdev and Harrogate BID

Bronze Award: Analyse Bus Open Data, ito World

Other finalists: Leicester Enhanced Bus Partnership, Leicester Bus Partnership; Nottingham Contactless, Nottingham City Transport and partners; Transport for Cornwall, Cornwall Council and partners

 

ROSCO Award for Contribution to Safer Driving

sponsored by ROSCO

Gold Award: Intelligent Speed Assistance, Stagecoach East and Volvo Bus

Silver Award: Tailored Ticketer Road Restriction Alerts, Ticketer and Reliance Motor Services

Bronze Award: Safety Strategy Forum, Stagecoach London

 

Services to the Bus Industry

sponsored by Passenger Transport

Gold Award: Peter Crichton

 

 

 

 

Supporting the Customer Experience

sponsored by Tracsis

Gold Award: Push Messaging, Grant Palmer

Silver Award: Sky Class, Transdev

Bronze Award: Freeflow, Oxford Bus Company

Other finalists: Flexible Contactless Capping, Brighton & Hove and Metrobus; Cornwall Bus Fares Pilot, Cornwall Council; Ticketing and Partnerships, Diamond Bus North West; Nottingham Contactless, Nottingham City Transport and partners

 

Supporting the Environment

sponsored by CitySwift

Gold Award: Big Switch off, Stagecoach East

Silver Award: Electrifying Caledonia, First Glasgow

Bronze Award: Biggest Zero Emission Park & Ride Fleet, First York

Other finalists: New Vehicles for Manchester, Diamond Bus North West; Zero Emission Project, Translink; Nottingham’s Green Euro Vl Fleet, Nottingham City Transport

 

Top Express Coach Operation

sponsored by Volvo

Gold Award: Oxford Tube

Silver Award: RailAir 1 and 2

 

 

 

Top National Bus Depot

sponsored by Integrated Solutions

Gold Award: Barrow, Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire

Silver Award: Portree, Stagecoach North Scotland

Bronze Award: St Andrews, Stagecoach East Scotland

 

 

Top National Bus Driver

The Chris Moyes Memorial Award, sponsored by Personal Group

Gold Award: Jonathan Smallman, Nottingham City Transport

Silver Award: Darren Dalton, Preston Bus

Bronze Award: Gurnam Singh, Stagecoach West

Other finalists: Ama Adae-Bosmpra, Uno; Grzegorz Ranis, Uno

 

Top City Operator

sponsored by Init Innovations

Gold Award: Diamond Bus North West

Silver Award: Abellio London Bus

 

 

Top Independent Operator

Gold Award: Uno

Silver Award: Ensignbus

Bronze Award: Grant Palmer

 

Top Shire Operator

sponsored by Ticketer

Gold Award: Blackpool Transport

Silver Award: Stagecoach East Scotland

Finalist: Stagecoach East

 

UK Bus Operator of the Year

sponsored by Gallagher and QBE Insurance

Gold Award: Blackpool Transport

Silver Award: Diamond Bus North West

Bronze Award: Uno

 

Unsung Heroes

sponsored by Backhouse Jones

Gold Award: Lesley Hester, Stagecoach Manchester

Specially Commended: Aafreeda Merican, Abellio London Bus; Kolawole ‘Kola’ Obasa, Metroline; Glenn Oldman, Stagecoach London; Louise Sills, Stagecoach South East; Steph Smith, Diamond Bus North West; James Third, Stagecoach South East

 

Young Manager of the Year

Gold Award: Hayley Russell, FlixBus

Silver Award: Zachary McAskill, Stagecoach Manchester

Bronze Award: Ben Houghton, Stagecoach London

Other finalists: Daniel Bowden, Stagecoach East Midlands; Thomas Calderbank, Diamond Bus North West; Michelle Doyle, Stagecoach West